WDTO Part 2 - Sneak Preview

The following is a chapter from the book, When Desire Takes Over - Part 2. For more details, please click --> Available for pre-order at Azhar Academy.

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Good Company

I begin this book with a chapter about friendship; Rasūlullāh g said, “A man will follow the religion of his friend; so be careful as to who you make friends with.”[1]

We’ve all had friends with whom we spent our childhood, attended primary school with and stuck with through secondary school and perhaps even college. A lot of the time, people change in college/university and as a result, friendships are broken and new friends are made. This is quite normal, as new friends are bound to be made in new places. The more popular a person becomes, the more friends he makes (he also gets more enemies)!

However, the group of friends we make from the time we hit puberty till the end of university really form who we are. They are the people who go through thick and thin with us. They are the people whom we phone late at night to empty out the sadness or the happiness of our hearts and they are the people who we share cheesy jokes with. As soon as we enter college/university, they are the first thing we think of and our hands immediately grab our phones in order to text them, “I’m here, where you at?” Quite simply, our friends know our private life more than anyone else. They may not know our private habits but they sure do know the details of our private life. By this, I mean to say that our family know our secret household habits (i.e. refusing to throw out the trash, leaving the bathroom floor wet, leaving the toilet seat down etc) but our friends are the ones who know what is going on in our minds (i.e. what we are worried about, what we are looking forward to).

Inevitably, when a person becomes so close to a group of people, his mind and thoughts coincide with theirs. What they seem to do and wish always appears to be acceptable no matter how insane it may be. We have been made in such a way that we are heavily impacted by those people who surround us.

Thereafter, people are of two types; some are leaders and others are followers.

By leaders, I am referring to those individuals who hold the strongest opinion within their social groups. For example, if they were to put an opinion forward in relation to an outing, the majority of their friends would adhere and listen.

On the contrary, there is what is known as the follower; this is in reference to that person who doesn’t really hold any strong opinion within their social group. They just go with whatever is decided and rarely makes any fuss about the decision.

Having understood this, it is now important to understand the importantce of maintaining good company in Islam.  Rasūlullāh g said, “A man will follow the religion of his friend; so be careful as to who you make friends with.”  In this ḥadīth, Rasūlullāh g is highlighting towards the huge impact friends can have upon a person. Rasūlullāh g highlights that a man follows the religion of his friend. This means that a human being generally follows what his friend does; if he sees his friend as a person who neglects prayer, he generally will do the same. Take the example of a boy who goes to play football with his friends; if at the time of prayer, nobody is bothered to pray, that young boy will ignore the call for prayer too. However strong a person’s friend is in his religion, this will be reflected in oneself. Similarly, however weak a person’s friend is in his religion, this too will be reflected in oneself. Having said that, this is a generalised approach, there are obviously a minority who are an exception to this.

Then in the ḥadīth Rasūlullāh g said, ‘Be careful as to whom you befriend’. Why was Rasūlullāh g so worried about the friends we make? The answer is quite simply down to the impact they can have upon our religious beliefs which is central to our lives. If we befriend people who doubt Allāh f, they may bombard us with questions to which we do not have the answers and as a result, they will influence us to join their path. As a result, a person will take his friend to be knowledgeable and follow him all the way into the fire. Similarly, if a person has friends who are of a pious disposition, he will immediately feel strong within his beliefs for if he has any doubts, his friends will help him remove these feelings.

Furthermore, friends tend to dress similarly to one another. You will generally see people who have beards hanging out with each other in the Islamic Society prayer room. Similarly, the sisters who wear ‘abāyah and ḥijāb all hang around together too. The reason to this is quite simply down to the fact that we have created classes amongst us; you will notice that in every college/university there is the ‘IT group’, ‘the art group’, ‘the religious group’,  ‘the Asian group’, ‘the Black group’ and so on. If you look at the interests and appearance of each group, you will find them separate from each other but those who are actually part of the group, all look similar. There may be some differences but generally, they all look the same.

Thus, if a person wants to be pious, the best companionship they can gain is that of pious people. Imām Shāf’ī r said, “There are three things that will increase you in your knowledge: (1) the gatherings of the scholars (2) the gatherings of the pious (3) leaving that which does not concern you.”[2] Therefore, if a person sits with a group of people who are pious, it becomes easy to be pious.

During my final year of university, I had a coursework to submit for one of my modules. Alḥamdulillāh, I completed my work well in advanced but there were some brothers (some of whom were practising and some of who weren’t) who were doing a ‘deadline day mission impossible’. I felt some compassion for them as I remembered being in tight situations myself only to be helped by brothers and so I stayed back in the library and ICT room to help them. There was a good amount of practising brothers in the room, and one brother who was not so practising. Whilst we were discussing the work, the time for prayer arrived and we all got up to go and pray. It was at this point that the non practising brother uttered some words that struck my heart; whilst in the elevator he said, “You know, normally, I would have said ‘you guys go’ and I would have stayed behind.” I immediately realised that he was finding it easy to pray because he was with a congregation of brothers who found it easy to pray.

If you want to be pious, then hang around with the pious. A person who joins a group of complete nutters will act like one. Thus, it is established that keeping good friends contributes highly towards how pious a person will be.

The reason I have mentioned this at the beginning of this book is because many of the problems I have written about from here on can easily be remedied if a person keeps a good set of friends. However, we find it difficult to part from those people whom we have known for years despite them being terrible people and sinful Muslims. The reason why we can’t change for the best is because the people whom we revolve our lives around quite simply won’t let us. I know tons of individuals who have been ridiculed by their alleged ‘mates’ when they have chosen to take the path of the Prophet g. As a result, they just stop practising altogether or if they do practise, they still end up doing dodgy things because they just can’t part with bad company.

Thus, many friendships in our society are based upon sin and to be frank, ‘if you start on the wrong foot, you are more than likely to finish on the wrong foot.’

If a person really wants to change, it is important that he ditches the wrong type of company. It may be hard at first; a person might really want to go and reminisce but if a person is damaging for you in your life as a Muslim, then quite frankly, you should not be with them. Allāh f highlights the state of those people who lived their lives with the wrong company on the day of Qiyāmah. He says,

وَيَوۡمَ يَعَضُّ ٱلظَّالِمُ عَلَىٰ يَدَيۡهِ يَقُولُ يَـٰلَيۡتَنِى ٱتَّخَذۡتُ مَعَ ٱلرَّسُولِ سَبِيلاً۬ يَـٰوَيۡلَتَىٰ لَيۡتَنِى لَمۡ أَتَّخِذۡ فُلَانًا خَلِيلاً۬ لَّقَدۡ أَضَلَّنِى عَنِ ٱلذِّڪۡرِ بَعۡدَ إِذۡ جَآءَنِى‌ۗ وَڪَانَ ٱلشَّيۡطَـٰنُ لِلۡإِنسَـٰنِ خَذُولاً۬

“And (Be mindful of) the Day the wrongdoer will bite his hands saying, ‘Would that I had taken a path along with the messenger! Woe to me! Would that I had not taken so-and-so for my friend! Indeed he led me astray from the advice after it had come to me.’ And the Satan is man‘s betrayer.”[3]

We shouldn’t wait for such a time to come but rather, we should rectify our friendships now so that on the day of Judgement we can be those people upon whom Allāh f has bestowed His favours. They are those from amongst the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the pious; Rasūlullāh g wasallam said, “You will be with those whom you love.” Anas h said, “Nothing made us more happy than the statement of the Prophet g, ‘You will be with those whom you love’ for I love Rasūlullāh g, I love Abū Bakr, ‘Umar and Uthmān j and so I hope to be with them in the hereafter’.

Those people whom we unconditionally love should be people who will help us straight into Jannah.

The underlying message here is that we must analyse our life and the people within it; we must hold onto those who are doing good for us and take a step back from those who aren’t. This doesn’t mean that you have to completely cut off from them but rather, it just means that you should keep your distance. It will be hard but Allāh f will reward you with better friends inshā’ Allāh.

Some people find religious people annoying; however, if you listened to them and acted upon what they say, you won’t find them annoying but you will find them as your best advisors. You’ll be thanking them when your imān is buzzing and your life is back on track. However, first, it requires you to swallow the bitter pill.

May Allāh f give us the ability to make good friends. Āmīn. I remember writing a poem about this issue and so I will put it here:

My best friend is always there for me,
He makes du’ā and Istighfār just for me.
He yells out 'Salām' when he sees me,
And will always smile as he embraces me.

My best friend always has time for me,
He will always ring and check up on me.
If I haven't spoken to him he will email me,
And if he hasn’t seen me he will surely contact me.

My best friend always spends freely on me,
He does not think twice when feeding me.
When we are together he will look after me,
And when it's ‘Īd he will buy gifts for me.

My best friend always prays in Jamā’ah with me,
He hasn't got time to take drugs with me.
He will always have a good influence on me,
He will never say anything bad about me.

My best friend is most dear to me.
 I stay around him because it is good for me.
I make more du’ā for him than he does of me,
I care for him because he’s a part of me...

"A man will follow the religion of his friend, so be careful as to whom you make friends with."[4]

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[1] Abū Dāwūd

[2] Sharḥul Arba’īn lil Ḥumayḍī

[3] Sūrah 25:27-29

[4] Abū Dāwūd

New Publications: WDTO2 & Ḥā Mīm Press Booklets

There are several publications to be released:

Lantern of Knowledge Publications - Available for pre-order at Azhar Academy.

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4 new publications available
PDF versions available online
(click on images below)

www.hamimpress.co.uk

Respect for Islamic Books

Many of us have Islamic books in our houses and rooms. We find that as we get more interested in Islam, the literature we purchase also increases. However, many of us lack the correct etiquettes on how to behave witch such books and sadly we see them lying around the house, next to the toaster in the kitchen or used as a coaster in the living room.

The reality is that these books are of great importance and deserved of enormous respect due to the writings within them. Often we will find the blessed name of Allah ‘azza wa jal and Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam written inside. Many books have Qur’anic verses and ahadith and thus are books of a venerated nature. The more respect we show these books, the more we will be able to benefit from them. The more disrespect we show them, the less we will gain from them. It does not befit a book of such a stature that it be left next to the toaster in the kitchen, rather it should deserve a place on a accessible, clean shelf. Such books should be handled with care.

The books which are studied in classical madressas usually have the main text in the center of the page and the commentary/footnotes are carefully etched all around the sides of the page. These annotations are sometimes upside down and at angles which are hard to read. Allamah Anwar Shah Kashmiri rahimahullah would have such respect for his books that in order to read these annotations, he would never move the book that was in front of him but rather he would move himself around the book if he wanted to read something which was written upside down. Such respect for his books contributed highly into making him one of the greatest scholars to have ever emanated from the sub continent.

Similar is the case of the king Bahadur Shah Zafar. After his death, somebody saw him in a dream and asked him, “O King! How did you fare in front of Allah Ta’ala?” He said, “Allah Ta’ala forgave me and he was very kind to me.” The person asked, “Is the reason because you were a very just king and ruler?” The king replied, “No, it was because of one incident that Allah Ta’ala liked so much. I was on a journey and I came to a resting place and we stopped there and when I was about to sleep on my bed, I noticed that on the shelf there was a Qur’an and I couldn’t spread my legs towards the Qur’an. I immediately stood up and sat straight. Now I thought that I would move the Qur’an from there and put it somewhere else but I thought no, I should not do that for the sake of my own rest. So, I tried to turn around and slept the other way but I couldn’t sleep. Sometimes I was sitting down; sometimes I was in some other posture until I spent the whole night in a sleepless state because of the respect of the Qur’an. I did not move the Qur’an for my own sake and I couldn’t sleep on the other side. So Allah Ta’ala said to me, “O Zafar! I liked this deed of yours so much that because of that, I am forgiving you.”

Today we consider such things such a trivial matter but when we look at our elders, we see an intense and burning love for books which are of a deeni nature. It is very important to become humble in front of such books. Many of us out of ignorance and disrespect sleep with our feet pointing towards Islamic books. There was a time where sleep in this manner would be unbearable but today, we are happy to place our feet towards deeni books and then sleep like a grizzly bear with full on snoring.

Similar is the case of sleeping in a high position whilst the books are lower than the feet of a person. It should not be the case that a person sleeps on such a high bedding that there are books on his shelf/desktop etc which are lower than his feet. If possible, he should lower his bed so that he is closer towards the floor and if he cannot do this, then he should look to sleep in another room. If that is really hard then he should ensure that the books are kept in another place where they will not be disrespected.

The following bullet points will inshallah be of benefit:

• Keep your Islamic books in high, dust-free shelves.
• Keep them nicely arranged starting with Qur'anic related books, Hadith related books then Fiqh related books and so on.
• Keep them in good condition.
• Do not use them for any other purpose other than what they are meant for. No 'coaster-ing!'
• Do not keep them in places which denote disgrace, i.e. below the feet.
• Do not point your feet towards Islamic books when you sleep.
• Hold the Islamic books with your right hand as this is the hand of respect.
• Try to maintain wudhu when reading such books. Although it is not necessary, it will be better and respectful. (Note: it is compulsory for one to have wudhu before physically handling the Qur'an)
• When you are carrying a book, carry it above your waist.
• Use nice bags when carrying Islamic books, not just a ripped Tesco bag!
• If one has many books and shelves in proportion to them, then make sure the room in which they are kept is clean and fragranced well.

Finally, I finish on a statement that our teachers would tell us, "Whomsoever acquired anything in this world did so by respect (adab). And whomsoever lost something in this world did so because of (a lack of) respect."

May Allah Ta'ala give us the ability to revere everything which is deserved of respect. Ameen.

Brief Stories and Haalaat of Seeking Knowledge and the Akaabireen #2

The following I have translated from "Zafrul Muhasileen Bi Ahwaalil Musanifeen". It is an excellent book for students of knowledge to read and extremely beneficial.

Imam Raazi rahmatullahi alayh would become extremely sorrowful at the time of eating as he would no longer be engaged in attaining Islamic knowledge. So much so that he would say, “I swear by Allah! At the time of eating I feel so sorrowful from being disengaged from knowledge. Without doubt, (the utilisation of) time is magnificent.”

The madressa Sheikh Abu Ishaaq used to study in had 10 flights of stairs. On every staircase, Sheikh Abu Ishaaq would read his sabak 100 times. By the time he got to the top, he had read his sabak 1,000 times. Now, where is this effort today? The state of the common folk became such that when Sheikh Abu Ishaaq travelled to Kharaasaan, whichever big or small district he went to, people came out in their masses to meet him and every working person would place their prized possessions in the transport Sheikh was using.

Hafiz Abul Qasim Sulayman ibn Ahmad Tabraani rahmatullahi alayh passed away 360AH. He spent 33 years travelling around and sought knowledge from 1,000 scholars. Despite this, his thirst for knowledge remained till his death.

Hafiz ibn Taahir Muqqadasi rahamatullahi alayh would never ever use any form of transport when travelling for hadith. He would take the job of transport and conveyance upon himself alone. At times of difficulty, his urine would be blood (due to his situation and lack of food).

Ibn al Maqri rahmatullahi alayh relates: I travelled to 70 destinations to acquire a document (written) by ibn Fuzala. The external appearance of this document was such that even a baker would not exchange one chapatti for it. (i.e. to some it may look so poor but he still went for it.)

Qadhi Thanaullah Panipati rahmatullahi alayhwould spend his bedtime in the obedience, worship and prayer of Allah Ta’ala. He would read 100 rak’at every day and would have the habit of finishing one Qur’an per day in his tahajjud prayer.

Imam e Adab, Sebuwee rahmatullahi alayh started his search for knowledge in fiqh and hadith. At this point, he did not have much of a connection with Nahw (syntax). During this period, Sheikh Hammad ibn Salamah would narrate hadith. One day, Hammad used the words, “laysa AbAAd Darda radiallahu anhu” and Imam e Adab had written down, “laysa AbUUd Darda radiallahu anhu”. Thereafter, he (Sebuwiya) recited this hadith to other listeners. Sheikh Hammad instantly spotted his mistake and said, “Do not recite the hadith incorrectly! It is ‘laysa AbAAd Darda radiallahu anhu!'" At this, Hazrat Sebuwee felt so sad and made a firm intention in his heart that he will learn that topic (Nahw) that will prevent him from making many mistakes. As a result of that, he began to seek knowledge upon Nahw and he studied with such firmness and determination that many students came after him would refer to him as Imam e Adab Sebuwee Nahwee.

May Allah Ta'ala give us the ability to tread in the footsteps of our Akaabireen. Ameen.

Brief Stories and Haalaat of Seeking Knowledge and the Akaabireen

Imam Abu Yusuf debating about a juristic issue at the time of his death.

Imam Abu Yusuf Qadhi (Ya’qub ibn Ibrahim ibn al Ansari al Kufiyi and then Bagdhadi) rahimahullah

Born: 113 AH
Death: 182 AH

He was the student and propagator of Imam Abu Hanifah’s rahimahullah knowledge and mazhab. And he was the Qadhi (judge) of the Abbasid caliph, al Mahdi al Hadi Rasheed. He would say for Imam Abu Yusuf rahimahullah is the judge of the judges in this world.
He was taking in his last stages of life with a loss of blood when he was debating with another man in a juristic issue with the hope that it would bring benefit to the one who seeks benefit or to the learner.

His student Qadhi Ibrahim ibn Jarrah al Kufiyi mentions that Imam Abu Yusuf was ill so I had gone to him to find him unconscious. When he woke up, he said to me: O Ibrahim! What do you say in this (juristic) matter? I said: You are asking me this in such a state?! He said: No worries with regards to this state (of mine). I will teach you, perhaps you will attain salvation as a result of it. Then he said: O Ibrahim, what is more virtuous in the ritual of Hajj in relation to the stoning of the jamaraat (click here to see) ? Should the stoning be done walking or should a person be a passenger (i.e. whilst riding on something)? I said: As a passenger. He said: You have made a mistake. I said: Walking. He said You have made a mistake: I said: You tell me about this, may Allah be pleased with you. He said: If the person is staying there because he wants to make dua, than it is more virtuous that he does the stoning as a walker. And if he does not intend to stay there, it is more virtuous that he does it as a messenger. I then stood by his side and (prepared to leave). I reached the door of his house when I heard a cry, it was then he had passed away. May Allah Ta’ala have mercy on him.

This was the way of the Ulama and Mashaaikh. They would say: Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave. (طلب العلم من المهد الي اللحد)

So much so that Shuja’ah ibn Mukhlad says that I heard Abu Yusuf saying: My son had died. I was not able to attend his funeral preparations or his burial and I left him with my neighbours and my close ones. Fear had set upon me that I may miss something from the duroos (lessons) of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah so I did not go.

Muhammad ibn Hassan rahimahullah – He didn’t sleep at night except very little.

Muhammad ibn Hassan ash Shaybani

Born: 132 AH
Death: 189 AH

He was an Imam, Faqeeh, Mujtahid and Muhadith; the student of Imam Abu Hanifah. Allamah Tashkubri mentions: He did not sleep at night but very little and would place a book beside him. When he would get tired from this, he would look the other way and would get rid of it with water. He would say: Without doubt, sleep is from fever! (illness)

‘Isaam al Balkhi rahimahullah buys a pen for a dinar so that he can write whatever he hears.

‘Isaam ibn Yusuf al Balkhi

Death: 215 AH

Allamah Taashkubri relates: He was a Hanafi jurist and Muhadith of Balkh. He would purchase a pen for a dinar so he could write whatever (ilm) he hears in every state. His life was short but his knowledge was vast. Students should not miss out on timing and hours, they should take the night as a retreat (i.e. to study) and should go to the scholars and benefit from them. You will not realise what you have let slip.

Translated from the book: Qeematuz Zamn 'indal Ulama

Chosen Souls - Valuable Chapters From Splendid Lives

Alhamdulillah, by the grace of Allah Ta'ala, our respected Sheikh, Maulana Irfan Sidyot Sahib (DB) has compiled a book with regards to the sacrifices of the pious predecessors. It is an excellent book for those who wish for a quick read as well as those who are talaba as many of the people mentioned are narrators of ahadith and great luminaries. 'Chosen Souls' is a short compilation of factual stories and events related to some of the most distinguished personalities ever to have stepped foot on the face of the the Earth. The work reflects the unwavering resolve of Allah Most High's chosen servants in pleasing their Creator. Accounts of worship, truthfulness, justice, steadfastness and other qualities make 'Chosen Souls' an enlightening read for all ages. It is priced at just £3.50 and is available widely. (Pages 73). Click here to order



Similarly, I would also like to divert your attention to Maulana's first kitaab that he wrote in praise of Rasulullah salallahu alayhi wa salam. 'The Prodigy of Creation' is a poem for English speaking audience which takes readers through the blessed life of Rasulullah salallah alayhi wa salam in an eloquent manner. The poem is also complete with a commentary on its every meaning. This too is a brief and short read. It is priced at £3.30 at Azhar Academy and more details are available on the sidebar. Click here to order.